Pressure equalization between battery module compartments of an energy storage system and external environment

ABSTRACT

In an embodiment, an energy storage system includes a battery module mounting area with a plurality of battery module compartments, each of the battery module compartments configured to house a respective battery module, and a venting arrangement configured to define a set of air channels that permits pressure equalization between the plurality of battery module compartments and an external environment. The venting arrangement is configured with an air-permeable, liquid-tight seal at least between (i) the plurality of battery module compartments and (ii) the external environment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Application for Patent claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/574,457 with attorney docket no.INEV-170002P1, entitled “PRESSURE EQUALIZATION BASED ON AIRFLOW BETWEENBATTERY MODULES OF AN ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM AND EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTWITH AIR-PERMEABLE, LIQUID-TIGHT SEALING”, filed Oct. 19, 2017, which isassigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Disclosure

Embodiments relate to pressure equalization between battery modulecompartments of an energy storage system and an external environment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Energy storage systems may rely upon batteries for storage of electricalpower. For example, in certain conventional electric vehicle (EV)designs (e.g., fully electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, etc.),a battery housing mounted into an electric vehicle houses a plurality ofbattery cells (e.g., which may be individually mounted into the batteryhousing, or alternatively may be grouped within respective batterymodules that each contain a set of battery cells, with the respectivebattery modules being mounted into the battery housing). The batterymodules in the battery housing are connected in series via busbars to abattery junction box (BJB), and the BJB distributes electric powerprovided from the busbars to an electric motor that drives the electricvehicle, as well as various other electrical components of the electricvehicle (e.g., a radio, a control console, a vehicle Heating,Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, internal lights,external lights such as head lights and brake lights, etc.).

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, an energy storage system includes a battery modulemounting area with a plurality of battery module compartments, each ofthe battery module compartments configured to house a respective batterymodule, and a venting arrangement configured to define a set of airchannels that permits pressure equalization between the plurality ofbattery module compartments and an external environment. The ventingarrangement is configured with an air-permeable, liquid-tight seal atleast between (i) the plurality of battery module compartments and (ii)the external environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the disclosure will bereadily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference tothe following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which are presented solely for illustrationand not limitation of the disclosure, and in which:

FIGS. 1 illustrates a front-perspective of an exterior framing of abattery module in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates alternative back-perspectives of the exteriorframing of the battery module of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top-perspective of a cross-section of an electricvehicle including a battery housing in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 3B illustrates an electrical diagram from a top-perspective of across-section of the electric vehicle of FIG. 3A in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3C illustrates a side-perspective of laterally adjacent batterymodules being coupled to a module-to-module power connector inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-4J illustrates various perspectives of a module-to-module powerconnector in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5G illustrates various perspectives of a module-to-module powerconnector in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6A illustrates example construction of a lateral-inserted batterymodule mounting area configuration in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 6B illustrates an example of a battery module compartment inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6C illustrates a battery housing reinforcement configuration inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6D illustrates a perspective of the tunnel space that is defined bythe battery housing reinforcement configuration of FIG. 6C in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6E illustrates a perspective of a battery housing that includes themodule-to-module power connector of FIG. 4A in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6F illustrates a module-to-module power connector installed betweenbattery module compartments in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate examples whereby module-to-module powerconnectors are arranged between battery modules of an electric vehiclein accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8A illustrates a perspective of the tunnel space that is defined bythe battery housing reinforcement configuration of FIG. 6C with arrowsthat depict an inside-to-outside airflow when external environmentpressure is lower than a pressure inside of the battery housing inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8B illustrates a perspective of the tunnel space that is defined bythe battery housing reinforcement configuration of FIG. 6C with arrowsthat depict an outside-to-inside airflow when external environmentpressure is higher than a pressure inside of the battery housing inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9A illustrates a venting arrangement that defines a set of airchannels through a tunnel space to permit pressure equalization betweenrespective battery module compartments and an external environment inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9B illustrates a venting arrangement that defines a set of airchannels through a tunnel space to permit pressure equalization betweenrespective battery module compartments and an external environment inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side-perspective of the venting arrangement ofFIG. 9A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure are provided in the following descriptionand related drawings. Alternate embodiments may be devised withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-knownelements of the disclosure will not be described in detail or will beomitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

Energy storage systems may rely upon batteries for storage of electricalpower. For example, in certain conventional electric vehicle (EV)designs (e.g., fully electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, etc.),a battery housing mounted into an electric vehicle houses a plurality ofbattery cells (e.g., which may be individually mounted into the batteryhousing, or alternatively may be grouped within respective batterymodules that each contain a set of battery cells, with the respectivebattery modules being mounted into the battery housing). The batterymodules in the battery housing are connected in series via busbars to abattery junction box (BJB), and the BJB distributes electric powerprovided from the busbars to an electric motor that drives the electricvehicle, as well as various other electrical components of the electricvehicle (e.g., a radio, a control console, a vehicle Heating,Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, internal lights,external lights such as head lights and brake lights, etc.).

FIG. 1 illustrates a front-perspective of an exterior framing of abattery module 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate alternative rear-perspectives of the exteriorframing of the battery module 100 in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. In the examples of FIGS. 1-2B, the battery module 100 isconfigured for insertion into a battery module compartment. For example,in FIGS. 1-2B, each side of the battery module 100 includes guidingelements 105 or 215B to facilitate insertion into (and/or removal outof) the battery module compartment. In a further example, the guidingelements 105 or 215B are configured to fit into grooves inside thebattery module compartment to facilitate insertion and/or removal of thebattery module 100. An insertion-side cover 110 (or endplate) isintegrated into the battery module 100. Upon insertion, theinsertion-side cover 110 may be attached or affixed to the batterymodule compartment (e.g., via fixation points 115, such as bolt-holes,etc.) to seal the battery module 100 inside the battery modulecompartment using a cover (or endplate) integrated sealing system (e.g.,rubber ring, paper gasket, sealant adhesive, etc.). While theinsertion-side cover 110 is depicted in FIGS. 1-2B as integrated intothe battery module 100, the insertion-side cover 110 may alternativelybe independent (or separate) from the battery module 100, with thebattery module 100 first being inserted into the battery modulecompartment, after which the insertion-side cover 110 is attached.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2B, the insertion-side cover 110 includes fixationpoints 115, a set of cooling connections 120, and an overpressure valve125. In an example, the fixation points 115 may be bolt-holes throughwhich bolts may be inserted, and the set of cooling connections 120 mayinclude input and output cooling tube connectors (e.g., through whichcoolant fluid is pumped into the battery module 100 for cooling one ormore cooling plates). The overpressure valve 125 may be configured toopen when pressure inside of the battery module 100 exceeds a threshold(e.g., to avoid an explosion or overpressure by degassing in case of athermal run away of a battery cell in the battery module 100).

In an alternative embodiment, the fixation points 115 and associatedflange can be omitted, and a different fixation mechanism (e.g., a clipor clamp, such as a U-shaped clip) can be used to secure the batterymodule 100 inside a respective battery module compartment. For example,the insertion-side cover 110 may be clamped over the open insertion-sideof the battery module compartment with a sheet metal band. The “band”may be rolled over the insertion-side cover 110 to cover part of the topand bottom of the battery housing, after which the rolled band isclamped (e.g., with a U-shaped clip). In an example, as a securityfeature, removing the rolled band so as to detach the insertion-sidecover 110 may cause the rolled band to be damaged, such thatunauthorized battery module removal can be detected (e.g., to void avehicle warranty, etc.).

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2B, the battery module 100 further includes a setof fixation and positioning elements 200 (e.g., to position and securethe battery module 100 in the battery module compartment whileinserted), and a set of HV connectors 205 (e.g., corresponding topositive and negative terminals of the battery module 100, each of whichmay be connected to (e.g., plugged into, bolted or screwed to, etc.) anelectrical interface that is coupled to either the BJB or anotherbattery module). In FIG. 2A, the battery module includes a wired LV dataport 210A (e.g., to connect internal sensors of the battery module 100to the BJB (not shown in FIG. 2A) via a wired LV module-to-tunnelinterface (not shown in FIG. 2A) in the battery module compartment). InFIG. 2B, the battery module includes an optical LV data port 210B (e.g.,to connect internal sensors of the battery module 100 to the BJB (notshown in FIG. 2B) via an optical LV module-to-tunnel interface (notshown in FIG. 2B) in the battery module compartment, such as a lighttube). In an example, the optical LV data port 210B, upon insertion ofthe battery module 100 into the battery module compartment, may bepressed against the optical LV module-to-tunnel interface (not shown inFIG. 2B) so that optical signals can be exchanged with the BJB throughlight tube(s) in the tunnel space without collecting dust or otherdebris. Accordingly, the battery module 100 is configured such that,upon insertion into the battery module compartment, the fixation andpositioning elements 200, and the HV connectors 205 and the LV data port210A or 210B are each secured and connected (e.g., plugged into, orpressed against and sealed) corresponding connectors in the batterymodule compartment. As used herein, reference to “LV” and “HV” is usedto distinguish between data connections (i.e., LV) and power connections(i.e., HV). Generally, power connections are associated with highervoltages (e.g., suitable for powering a drive motor of an electricvehicle), while data connections are associated with lower voltages(e.g., suitable for transporting data).

Various embodiments of the disclosure described herein relate tomodule-to-module power connectors between battery modules (e.g., such asthe battery module 100 of FIGS. 1-2B) of an energy storage system. Aswill be described below, module-to-module power connectors may bearranged in part within a tunnel space that is defined above a batterymodule mounting area, while also including electrical interfaces (e.g.,plugs or sockets) that extend downwards into the battery module mountingarea for establishing electrical connections with HV connectors (e.g.,HV connectors 205 in FIGS. 2A-2B). In an example, module-to-module powerconnectors may be used to connect at least one pair of battery modulesin adjacent battery module compartments together in series.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top-perspective of a cross-section of an electricvehicle 300A including a battery housing 305A in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3A depicts various well-knowncomponents (e.g., wheels, axles, etc.) of the electric vehicle 300A toprovide general context, but these components are not described indetail below for the sake of brevity. With respect to FIG. 3A and otherFIGS described below, reference to battery “housing” and battery “modulemounting area” is somewhat interchangeable. The battery module mountingarea in FIG. 3A (and other FIGS described below) refers to anarrangement of battery module compartments configured to receiveinsertion of battery modules and to be sealed via insertion-side coversto form a battery housing. Further, in at least one embodiment, thebattery module mounting area is part of a floor of the electric vehicle300A.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the battery housing 305A includes ten batterymodule compartments denoted as A . . . J, and a middle bar 310A that ispositioned between battery module compartments A . . . E and batterymodule compartments F . . . J on different longitudinal sides (e.g.,left and right sides) of the electric vehicle 300A. Each battery modulecompartment includes a frame (or plurality of walls) defining aninterior space configured to fit a respective battery module, and aninsertion-side which may be opened to facilitate insertion and/orremoval of the respective battery module. The middle bar 310A may beconstructed from the dividers (or firewalls) that separate laterallyadjacent (e.g., aligned width-wise as a left/right pairing in theelectric vehicle 300A) battery module compartments A . . . J (e.g., thefirewall between battery module compartments A and F, the firewallbetween battery module compartments B and G, etc.).

In an example, the middle bar 310A may be one single longitudinal “bar”that extends across the entirety of the battery housing 305A. In thiscase, the interior side-walls of each battery module compartment may beattached to the middle bar 310A to form the battery module mountingarea. In an alternative example, each laterally adjacent battery modulecompartment pair may be pre-constructed as a battery module compartmentchamber with its own chamber-specific firewall for separating itsrespective laterally adjacent battery module compartments. The batterymodule compartment chambers may be stacked longitudinally to form thebattery module mounting area, as will be discussed below with respect toFIGS. 6A-6B. In this case, the middle bar 310A is an aggregation of theindividual firewalls contained in each respective battery modulecompartment chamber across the battery housing 305A.

While the middle bar 310A is illustrated in FIG. 3A as being centered inthe battery housing 305A, the middle bar 310A can be positioned in otherlocations (e.g., closer to one side or the other, so as to fitdifferently-sized battery modules on left and right sides of the batterymodule mounting area) in other embodiments. Further, multiple middlebars could be deployed in other implementations. For example, aparticularly wide vehicle may be equipped with a battery module mountingarea that is wider than the lengths of two battery modules, such that agap may be present between the two battery modules when inserted into alaterally adjacent pair of battery module compartments. In this case,two separate firewalls may be used for each laterally adjacent batterymodule compartment so that respective battery modules can comfortablyfit therein, with a gap in-between the two firewalls. The two firewallsmay form part of two separate “middle” bars (even though each respectivefirewall may be offset from a center or middle of the battery housing305A), with the two separate middle bars either corresponding to twolong “bars” extending across the battery housing 305A or twoaggregations of chamber-specific firewalls from longitudinally stackedbattery module compartment chambers. In at least one embodiment, the gapbetween the two separate middle bars may be used as a tunnel space(e.g., to facilitate optical communication, to run LV/HV busbars, etc.),although the embodiments describe below relate to an implementationwhere the tunnel space is defined above the battery module compartments,and not in a gap between laterally adjacent battery module compartments.

It will be appreciated that the battery housing 305A including tenbattery module compartments A . . . J is shown in FIG. 3A for examplepurposes only. For example, an electric vehicle with a longer wheel basemay be configured with a battery housing having more battery modulecompartments (e.g., 12, 14, etc.), while an electric vehicle with ashorter wheel base may be configured with a battery housing having fewerbattery module compartments (e.g., 8, 6, etc.). The battery modulecompartments A . . . E are arranged longitudinally (i.e., lengthwisewith respect to electric vehicle 300A) on a right-side of the electricvehicle 300A, while battery module compartments F . . . J are arrangedlongitudinally on a left-side of the electric vehicle 300A.

As used herein, a “battery module” is a package that contains aplurality of battery cells, such as lithium ion battery cells or batterycells made from a different electrode material. Battery modules may beconfigured with a prismatic or pouch battery cell arrangement (sometimesreferred to as a soft pack), while other battery modules are configuredwith a cylindrical battery cell arrangement.

As used herein, a battery module compartment being “sealed” refers to aseal that is at least water-tight or liquid-tight, and optionallygas-tight (at least, with respect to certain gases and/or particles suchas smoke from fire, carbon, electrolyte particles, dust and debris,etc.). Generally, the sealing of the battery module compartments is aresult of its interior walls being welded or glued together (wherepossible), and any electrical interfaces (e.g., insertion-side cover,coolant interface plugs, electrical interfaces, etc.) being sealed witha suitable type of sealant (e.g., O-ring, rubber gasket, sealingcompound, etc.). While the sealing of the battery module compartmentscould potentially be hermetic (e.g., gas-tight with respect to allgases), hermetic sealing is not necessary (e.g., due to high cost).Accordingly, the sealing of the battery module compartments may beconfigured to block propagation of likely contaminants (e.g., liquidssuch as water, flames and/or smoke from fires, carbon, electrolyteparticles, dust and debris, etc.) from entering into battery modulecompartments from an external environment and/or from exiting thebattery module compartments towards a protected area (e.g., a passengercabin of an electric vehicle). Moreover, while various embodimentsdescribed below relate to lateral or side-insertion of battery modulesinto respective battery module compartments, the insertion-side for thebattery module compartments A . . . J may vary between different batterymodule mounting area configurations.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the middle bar 310A is configured to increase theoverall stiffness of the battery housing 305A (and thereby, the electricvehicle 300A). In an example, the middle bar 310A may be positionedunderneath a tunnel space 315A that, similar to the middle bar 310A, maybe centered between battery module compartments A . . . E and batterymodule compartments F . . . J. As noted above, the battery modulecompartment firewalls that comprise the middle bar 310A limitpropagation of hazards (e.g., excessive heat or fire, fluid leaks, etc.)between battery module compartments A . . . E and battery modulecompartments F . . . J. The tunnel space 315A optionally permitswireless communication (e.g., optical communication) between the batterymodules inserted into the battery compartments A . . . J and the BJB(not shown in FIG. 3A). In an example, the tunnel space 315A may beoutside of the battery module compartments A . . . J and effectively on‘top’ of the battery housing 305A in the middle of the electric vehicle300A (e.g., along the top of middle bar 310A). Alternatively, instead ofbeing defined over, or on ‘top’, of the battery housing 305A, the tunnelspace 315A may instead be vertically aligned (or level) with the batterymodules A . . . J in the battery housing 305A in-between adjacentbattery module compartments on different lateral sides of the electricvehicle 300A (e.g., two interior walls or firewalls are used to sealeach pair of laterally adjacent battery module compartments, with spacesin-between each pair of laterally adjacent battery module compartmentsdefining the tunnel space 315A).

While not shown expressly in the top-perspective depicted in FIG. 3A,busbars contained within respective module-to-module power connectorsmay be deployed along the tunnel space 315A to provide electricalconnections between battery modules inserted into any of the batterymodule compartments A . . . J and a BJB.

FIG. 3B illustrates an electrical diagram from a top-perspective of across-section of the electric vehicle 300A in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3B, a BJB 300B isarranged at one end of the tunnel space 315A near battery modulecompartments E and J. A negative terminal at the BJB 300B may connect toan electrical interface on battery module compartment J via an HV busbar(e.g., a sealed HV busbar), which is connected to a negative terminal ofa battery module in battery module compartment J. A positive terminal ofthe battery module in battery module compartment J in turn connects toan electrical interface on battery module compartment J, which connectsto an HV busbar that connects to an electrical interface on batterymodule compartment I, which is connected to a negative terminal of abattery module in battery module compartment I, and so on. In thismanner, the battery module in battery module compartment J may bedaisy-chained in series to the battery module in battery modulecompartment I, which is in turn daisy-chained (in order) to batterymodules in battery module compartments H, G, F, A, B, C, D and E, withthe positive terminal of the battery module in battery modulecompartment E being connected back to the BJB 300B via an HV busbar tocomplete the HV power connection between the BJB 300B and the respectivebattery modules of the battery housing 305A.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the electrical interfaces and associated busbarsthat are used to form electrical connections between battery modules inadjacent battery module compartments are integrated intomodule-to-module power connectors 305B-325B. In FIG. 3B,module-to-module power connectors 305B-320B are implemented as “paired”module-to-module power connectors in the sense that two separate busbarsare included to form two separate in-series module-to-module electricalconnections. For example, module-to-module power connector 305B includesa first busbar that facilitates an in-series electrical connectionbetween battery modules in battery module compartments I and J, and alsoa second busbar that facilitates an in-series electrical connectionbetween battery modules in battery module compartments D and E. In anexample, the respective busbars in each “paired” module-to-module powerconnector are insulated from each other as each respective busbar isconfigured to connect a different pair of battery modules in series. Bycontrast, module-to-module power connector 305B-320B is implemented as a“single” module-to-module power connector in the sense that a singlebusbar is included to form a single in-series module-to-moduleelectrical connection between battery modules in battery modulecompartments A and F.

Referring to FIG. 3B, module-to-module power connectors 305B-320B areeach configured to connect battery modules in longitudinally-adjacentbattery module compartments on the same longitudinal side of the batteryhousing 305A. For example, module-to-module power connector 305B isconfigured to connect battery modules in longitudinally-adjacent batterymodule compartments I and J in series and also to separately connectbattery modules in longitudinally-adjacent battery module compartments Dand E in series. By contrast, module-to-module power connector 325B isconfigured to connect battery modules in laterally-adjacent batterymodule compartments A and F in series.

Referring to FIG. 3B, each of the module-to-module power connectors305B-325B may include one or more busbars (e.g., HV busbars) fortransporting power between battery modules in adjacent battery modulecompartments. In FIG. 3B, these busbars are denoted as 330B-370B. In anexample, some or all of the busbars 330B-370B may include an integrateddisconnect component. Each of the integrated disconnect components ispart of or affixed to a respective busbar in a module-to-module powerconnector, and is configured to reduce or eliminate a voltage across arespective electrical connection in response to a trigger (e.g., a surgein current, heat, etc., which may be caused in a crash scenario). Aswill be described below in more detail, the integrated disconnectcomponents may include fuses, explosive components (e.g., pyro fuses,etc.), or the like. Also depicted in FIG. 3B are HV busbars 375B-380B.HV busbars 370B-380B each connect a single battery module to the BJB300B, and thereby may be characterized as part of module-to-BJB powerconnectors instead of module-to-module power connectors. Similar to themodule-to-module power connectors described above, the HV busbars370B-380B in the module-to-BJB power connectors may be sealed.

While not shown in FIG. 3B, each battery module compartment may alsoinclude an LV module-to-tunnel interface (e.g., an opticalcommunications interface, a wired communications interface, etc.) whichfacilitates a connection between the battery module and the BJB 300B.

In an example, centering the busbars (e.g., HV busbars 330B-380B and/orLV busbars) along the tunnel space 315A in the middle of the electricvehicle 300A helps to isolate the busbars from crash impact zones (e.g.,the left and right sides of the electric vehicle 300A), which in turnprotects the busbars from crash impact-related damage. Also, definingthe tunnel space 315A on top of the middle bar 310A, which may beconfigured as a strong metal ‘spine’ of the battery housing 305A, maylikewise help to protect the busbars with the tunnel space 315Afunctioning as a relatively protected area (e.g., from crashimpact-related damage, etc.). The tunnel space 315A may also function asan electromagnetic shield that protects the busbars from externalelectromagnetic interference. In an example, the busbars may be attachedto a top-portion of the battery module compartments in proximity to thefirewall(s), so that the tunnel space 315A remains substantially empty,which may facilitate LV busbars or an optical communications interfaceto be deployed therein. The central busbars may include LV (or data)busbars (not shown) and HV (or power) busbars (e.g., busbars 330B-380B),as noted above, although the LV busbars may be omitted if an opticalcommunications interface (e.g., a light tube) is implemented (e.g.,because LV wiring is not required to communicate with the individualbattery modules).

With respect to the embodiment whereby the tunnel space 315A is definedon ‘top’ of the battery housing 305A, in an example, each pair oflaterally adjacent battery module compartments may include a set ofholes located proximately to the tunnel space 315A and alignedperpendicular to a direction in which the battery module is inserted orremoved (e.g., for lateral or side-insertion, the holes may be on anupper wall or top wall of the battery module compartment). Electricalinterfaces of the module-to-module power connector(s) are mounted intorespective hole(s) among the set of holes for connecting battery modulesto the busbars 330B-370B in the tunnel space 315A. For example, eachmodule-to-module power connector may be mounted in the tunnel space 315Aon top of the battery housing 305A, with respective electricalinterfaces extending downwards and being inserted into one or morerespective holes, and then secured and sealed. Then, when a batterymodule is inserted into a battery module compartment, electricalinterfaces (e.g., plugs, sockets, etc.) for positive and negativeterminals of the battery module are aligned with the electricalinterfaces (e.g., plugs, sockets) on the module-to-module powerconnector(s), such that the electrical interfaces of the battery moduleare coupled to the electrical interfaces on the module-to-module powerconnector(s) upon full insertion into the battery module compartment,and the electrical interfaces of the battery module are disconnected (ordecoupled) from the on the module-to-module power connector(s) when thebattery module is removed from the battery module compartment.Alternatively, instead of an implementation where the battery modulesare plugged into module-to-module power connector(s) upon insertion, theHV busbars in the module-to-module power connectors could insteadmanually secured to the electrical interface(s) on the battery modules.For example, an HV busbar could be bolted to an electrical interface ona battery module and then covered or sealed via a separate cover. Inthis case, the electrical interface of the module-to-module powerconnector to the battery module would correspond to the portion of theHV busbar that is bolted onto the battery module's electrical interface(e.g., in contrast to a plug/socket mechanism for forming electricalconnections between the module-to-module power connectors and batterymodules).

In an example, the electrical interfaces on the module-to-module powerconnector(s) may interface with battery modules on both sides of thebattery module mounting area. For example, module-to-module powerconnector 305B connects battery modules in battery module compartments Iand J in series on one longitudinal side of the battery housing 305A,while also connecting battery modules in battery module compartments Dand E in series on the other longitudinal side of the battery housing305A. The electric couplings of the battery modules can be chained frombattery module compartment to battery module compartment with HV beingavailable at the BJB 300B once a last battery module is inserted (e.g.,each of battery module compartments A . . . J).

The electrical interfaces on each module-to-module power connector305B-325B may be sealed (e.g., via a plastic cover, a rubber gasket, asealing adhesive, a sealing ring such as an 0-Ring in an axial or aradial direction, etc.) so that each battery module compartment issealed from an external environment (e.g., so that no liquid can enteredinto or escape from the battery housing 305A once all the battery modulecompartments are closed). In an example, this sealing is not appliedbetween the battery modules that are electrically connected via theelectrical interfaces of the module-to-module power connectors 305B-325B(e.g., gaps may be defined inside the module-to-module power connectors305B-325B to permit airflow between the respective adjacent batterymodules). In an example, the module-to-module power connectors 305B-325Bmay be secured onto the top of the battery housing 305A in the tunnelspace 315A via bolting or screwing.

In an example, positioning the module-to-module power connectors305B-325B on the battery housing 305A in the tunnel space 315A maypermit workers (e.g., assembly workers at a vehicle assembly plantduring assembly of the electric vehicle 300A, maintenance workers, etc.)access to a particular subset of battery module compartments withoutbeing exposed to dangerously high voltages. For example, as noted above,the busbars 330B-370B of the respective battery module compartments maybe positioned in an interior or central portion of the electric vehicle300A, while the workers may be located outside the electric vehicle 300Afor a lateral module insertion scenario, thereby shielded from thecentrally-positioned busbars 330B-370B.

In particular, during insertion of a battery module that includes anintegrated cover (or endplate), the worker may insert the battery moduleinto a battery module compartment and couple the battery module to atleast one corresponding busbar (e.g., via electrical interfaces of oneor more module-to-module power connectors, where the battery modulecoupling may occur by virtue of the worker pushing or sliding anelectrical interface of the battery module into the correspondingelectrical interfaces of one or more module-to-module power connectors),and then secure (e.g., by tightening bolts, etc.) the cover (orendplate) to the battery module compartment so that the battery modulecompartment is sealed. Likewise, during removal, the worker may free orunlock the cover attachment mechanism (e.g., by removing bolts, etc.),and may then slide the battery module out of the battery modulecompartment. Hence, in at least one embodiment, during either insertionor removal, the worker only accesses the battery module(s) inside oneparticular subset of battery module compartments and its associatedbusbar(s) at a time without exposing the workers to the central HVbusbars 330B-370B.

In an embodiment, the BJB 300B may also be positioned in a middle orcenter (laterally) at one longitudinal end of the electric vehicle 300Aon top of the battery housing 305A. For example, to simplify and/orshorten power cabling and improve safety, the BJB 300B may be positionedat one longitudinal end of the battery housing 305A above the batterymodule compartments E and J, or alternatively at the other longitudinalend of the battery housing 305A above the battery module compartments Aand F). In an example, positioning the BJB 300B in the middle(laterally) of the electric vehicle 300A above the tunnel space 315A mayreduce an electrical connection length between the BJB 300B and thebattery modules due to the busbars 330B-370B being run along the tunnelspace 315A. However, it will be appreciated that the BJB 300B can beplaced anywhere in the electric vehicle 300A and is not required to beinstalled proximately to the battery housing 305A at the preciselocation depicted in FIG. 3B.

The battery housing 305A described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-3B maybe based on various battery module mounting area configurations, such asa lateral-inserted battery module mounting area configuration (e.g.,battery modules are inserted into a battery module mounting area fromthe left and right sides of an electric vehicle) which is used todescribe various embodiments below. However, while not expresslyillustrated, other battery module mounting area configurations arepossible, such as vertically-inserted battery module mounting areaconfigurations (e.g., battery modules are inserted into a battery modulemounting area from the top or bottom sides of an electric vehicle),hinged-inserted battery module mounting area configurations (e.g.,battery module compartments are attached to hinges so that the batterymodule compartments rotate upwards and downwards via the hinges forbattery module insertion), and so on.

FIG. 3C illustrates a side-perspective of laterally adjacent batterymodules 1 and 2 being coupled to a module-to-module power connector 300Cin accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In an example,module-to-module power connector 300C may correspond to any of themodule-to-module power connectors 305B-325B from FIG. 3B. The example ofFIG. 3C is specific to a lateral-inserted battery module mounting areaconfiguration whereby the tunnel space 315A is positioned on top of thebattery housing 305A. In FIG. 3C, the laterally adjacent battery modules1 and 2 may be connected to each other in series as shown in FIG. 3Bwith respect to the battery modules in battery module compartments A andF by the module-to-module power connector 325B. Alternatively, thelaterally adjacent battery modules 1 and 2 may be insulated from eachother within the module-to-module power connector 300C and connected inseries to other battery modules (not shown in FIG. 3C), as shown in FIG.3B with respect to the module-to-module power connectors 305B-325B.

FIG. 4A illustrates an exploded perspective of a module-to-module powerconnector 400A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In anexample, module-to-module power connector 400A may correspond to any ofthe module-to-module power connectors 305B-320B from FIG. 3B.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the module-to-module power connector 400A includesa top cover 405A (e.g., made from plastic and including a number offixation points such as fixation points 407A for securing themodule-to-module power connector 400A to the top of the battery housing305A via bolts), a sealing component 410A (e.g., sealing compound,rubber, etc.), busbars 415A and 420A (e.g., made from a conductivematerial such as copper), electrical interfaces 425A and 430A coupled tobusbar 415A, electrical interfaces 435A and 440A coupled to busbar 420A,electrical interface covers 445A-455A (e.g., made from plastic)configured to cover electrical interfaces 425A, 435A and 440A,respectively, and a battery housing fitting 460A (e.g., made fromplastic). As will be described below in more detail, the battery housingfitting 460A is configured for insertion into holes in a top-side of thebattery housing 305A inside of the tunnel space 315A. Moreover, thebattery housing fitting 460A includes an insulative divider section 422Athat helps to insulate busbars 415A and 420A from each other. While notshown in the exploded perspective of FIG. 4A, the electrical interface430A also includes an electrical interface cover.

Referring to FIG. 4A, electrical interfaces 425A and 430A are used toform an electrical connection between a pair of battery modules inlongitudinally adjacent battery module compartments, and electricalinterfaces 435A and 440A are used to form an electrical connectionbetween another pair of battery modules in longitudinally adjacentbattery module compartments.

Referring to FIG. 4A, in an example, if the module-to-module powerconnector 400A corresponds to the module-to-module power connector 305Bfrom FIG. 3B, electrical interface 425A may be used to connect to theelectrical interface on the battery module in battery module compartmentD, electrical interface 430A may be used to connect to the electricalinterface on the battery module in battery module compartment E,electrical interface 435A may be used to connect to the electricalinterface on the battery module in battery module compartment I, andelectrical interface 440A may be used to connect to the electricalinterface on the battery module in battery module compartment J.

FIG. 4B illustrates the module-to-module power connector 400A inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, theperspective in FIG. 4B primarily depicts the top cover 405A, withportions of the electrical interface covers 450A and 455A also beingvisible.

FIG. 4C illustrates the module-to-module power connector 400A inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, theperspective in FIG. 4C more clearly shows the underside components ofthe module-to-module power connector 400A, whereby electrical interfacecover 400C (which covers electrical interface 430A in FIG. 4A) is shown.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, the busbars 415A and 420A and the batteryhousing fitting 460A are configured to extend downwards into the batterymodule mounting area for connecting to the respective battery modules.Accordingly, the electrical interfaces 425A-440A and associatedelectrical interface covers 445A-455A and 400C are arranged inside ofthe battery housing 305A (e.g., beneath the tunnel space 315A).Alternatively, while various embodiments show the battery modulemounting area beneath the tunnel space 315A, other embodiments need nothave the tunnel space 315A arranged on top of the battery modulemounting area. For example, the tunnel space 315A could instead beimplemented in-between the laterally adjacent battery modulecompartments, in which case the electrical interfaces would extendlaterally (instead of downwards) from the tunnel space into the batterymodule compartments. In yet another embodiment, the tunnel space couldbe arranged beneath the battery housing 305A with bottom-mountedmodule-to-module power connectors having electrical interfaces thatextend into the battery housing 305A in an upwards direction frombeneath the battery housing 305A. Accordingly, a tunnel space positionedon top of the battery housing 305A with downward-extending electricalinterfaces from the module-to-module power connectors is not required inall embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, when the module-to-module power connector 400Ais mounted in the tunnel space 315A and secured (e.g., via screwing,bolting, etc.), the sealing component 410A is pressed down onto thebattery housing 305A, which seals the module-to-module power connector400A from an external environment (e.g., the rest of the tunnel space315A, etc.).

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, each of the electrical interfaces 425A-440A isconfigured to connect to either a positive or negative terminal of acorresponding battery module upon insertion of the battery module inaccordance with the electrical diagram depicted in FIG. 3B with respectto module-to-module power connectors 305B-320B. As noted above, thebusbars 415A-420A are insulated from each other by the insulativedivider section 422A and are configured to form two separate in-serieselectrical connections between battery modules of adjacent batterymodule compartments upon insertion of the battery modules into therespective adjacent battery module compartments.

FIG. 4D illustrates interior sections 400D of the module-to-module powerconnector 400A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 4D, the busbars 415A-420A are not arranged as straightmetallic bars. Instead, the busbars 415A-420A include flexible (e.g.,curved or wavy) middle sections denoted in FIG. 4D with respect to 405D.For example, the curvature or waves in the flexible middle section 405Dmay be derived from the busbars 415A-420A being formed from laminatedcopper bands, woven copper, a flexible cable, or any combinationthereof. The flexible middle sections 405D of the busbars 415A-420A areconfigured specifically to grant each respective busbar a given amountof flexibility which permits the associated electrical interfaces425A-440A a defined range of movement during connection to correspondingelectrical interfaces on respective battery modules. For example, thedefined range of movement may be a 2 mm range of “X-direction” movement(e.g., left/right movement), a 2 mm range of “Z-direction” movement(e.g., up/down movement), or a combination thereof. Put another way, thedefined range of movement may be 2 mm on a plane that is perpendicularto the insertion direction of the respective battery module (e.g., aplane comprising both X and Z directions). In a further example, theelectrical interfaces 425A-440A may be configured to resist“Y-direction” movement (e.g., parallel to the insertion direction) basedon support from the battery housing fitting 460A to accommodate abattery module's electrical interface to be plugged into a correspondingelectrical interface on the module-to-module power connector duringinsertion of the battery module.

FIG. 4E illustrates an underside perspective 400E of themodule-to-module power connector 400A in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosure. A zoomed-in perspective 405E of the undersideperspective 400E is also shown in FIG. 4E, whereby gaps 410E are definedbetween the electrical interface cover 450A (and by implication, theelectrical interface 435A as well) and the battery housing fitting 460Awhich permits the electrical interface 435A (and associated electricalinterface cover 450A) to defined ranges of movement in both radial and Zdirections. While not shown expressly in FIG. 4E, similar gaps may bedefined with respect to each other electrical interface to permitsimilar defined ranges of movement.

FIG. 4F illustrates the busbar 420A and associated electrical interfaces435A and 440A in isolation in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure. As shown in FIG. 4F, the busbar 420A is attached (e.g., viawelding, etc.) to downward extending sections 400F and 405F of theelectrical interfaces 435A and 440A, respectively. While not shownexpressly, the busbar 415A may be configured similarly to the busbar420A as depicted in FIG. 4F.

FIG. 4G a side perspective of the busbar 420A and associated electricalinterfaces 435A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. InFIG. 4G, a fuse 400G is integrated into the busbar 420A. For example,the fuse 400G may correspond to a thinner section of the busbar 420Awhich is surrounded by thicker sections of the busbar 420A. In a furtherexample, the fuse 400G may be arranged at the flexible middle section405D of the busbar 420A (and busbar 415A). As the current (or amperage)increases over the busbar 420A, the thinner section of the busbar 420A(or fuse 400G) will melt first, which may help to reduce or eliminateshort circuits and/or fires from propagating through the battery housing305A and/or tunnel space 315A. The fuse 400G is an example of adisconnect component that can be integrated into a module-to-modulepower connector to reduce or eliminate a voltage across electricalconnections between battery modules. In particular, the fuse 400G isconfigured to melt (or blow) when an amperage flowing over theassociated electrical connection (i.e., over a respective busbar)exceeds a fuse rating for the fuse 400G.

FIG. 4H illustrates interior sections 400H of the module-to-module powerconnector 400A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG.4H is similar to FIG. 4D, except that protection sections 405H and 410Hare arranged over the flexible middle section 405D. In an example, theprotective sections 405H and 410H (e.g., quartz sand, etc.) may bearranged over respective integrated voltage disconnect components in thebusbars 415A-420A, such as the fuse 400G depicted in FIG. 4G. In anexample, the protective sections 405H and 410H may protect against arcsthat can occur when a respective fuse melts.

Referring to FIG. 4H, in an alternative embodiment, the protectionsections 405H and 410H may be arranged over an explosive component(e.g., a pyro fuse) instead of a fuse that merely melts in response toexcessive heat and/or current. Explosive components are another exampleof disconnect components that can be integrated into a module-to-modulepower connector to reduce or eliminate a voltage across electricalconnections between battery modules. In particular, the explosivecomponents are configured to explode (e.g., so as to cause a rupture ina respective busbar so current cannot flow across the respective busbar)in response to heat and/or fire inside the module-to-module powerconnector 400A. The protective sections 405H and 410H in turn guardagainst the force of the explosion(s) so that only the respective busbaris impacted by the explosion. In a further example, the module-to-modulepower connector 400A may be communicatively coupled to a controller suchas the BJB 300B. The controller may monitor various battery and/or othervehicle conditions on its own and make its own decision to cause aparticular voltage disconnect component to explode. In this case, thetrigger for the explosion of a particular explosive component may be acontrol signal from the controller, as opposed to heat and/or fire atthe respective busbar.

FIG. 41 illustrates another side perspective of the module-to-modulepower connector 400A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 4J illustrates a top perspective of the module-to-module powerconnector 400A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded perspective of a module-to-module powerconnector 500A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In anexample, module-to-module power connector 500A may correspond tomodule-to-module power connectors 325B from FIG. 3B.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the module-to-module power connector 500A includesa top cover 505A (e.g., made from plastic and including a number offixation points such as fixation points 507A for securing themodule-to-module power connector 500A to the top of the battery housing305A via bolts), a sealing component 510A (e.g., sealing compound,rubber, etc.), a busbar 515A (e.g., made from a conductive material suchas copper), electrical interfaces 525A and 535A coupled to busbar 515A,electrical interface covers 545A-550A (e.g., made from plastic)configured to cover electrical interfaces 525A and 535A, respectively,and a battery housing fitting 560A (e.g., made from plastic). Electricalinterfaces 525A and 535A are used to form an electrical connectionbetween battery modules in laterally adjacent battery modulecompartments, such as battery module compartments A and F in FIG. 3B. Aswill be described below in more detail, the battery housing fitting 560Ais configured for insertion into a hole in a top-side of the batteryhousing 305A inside of the tunnel space 315A.

FIG. 5B illustrates the module-to-module power connector 500A inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, theperspective in FIG. 5B primarily depicts the top cover 505A, withportions of the electrical interface covers 545A and 550A also beingvisible.

FIG. 5C illustrates the module-to-module power connector 500A inaccordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, theperspective in FIG. 5C more clearly shows the underside components ofthe module-to-module power connector 500A.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, the busbar 515A and the battery housingfitting 560A are configured to extend downwards into the battery modulemounting area for connecting to the respective battery modules.Accordingly, the electrical interfaces 525A and 535A and associatedelectrical interface covers 545A-550A are arranged inside of the batteryhousing 305A (e.g., beneath the tunnel space 315A). Alternatively, whilevarious embodiments show the battery module mounting area beneath thetunnel space 315A, other embodiments need not have the tunnel space 315Aarranged on top of the battery module mounting area. For example, thetunnel space 315A could instead be implemented in-between the laterallyadjacent battery module compartments, in which case the electricalinterfaces would extend laterally (instead of downwards) from the tunnelspace into the battery module compartments. In yet another embodiment,the tunnel space could be arranged beneath the battery housing 305A withbottom-mounted module-to-module power connectors having electricalinterfaces that extend into the battery housing 305A in an upwardsdirection from beneath the battery housing 305A. Accordingly, a tunnelspace positioned on top of the battery housing 305A withdownward-extending electrical interfaces from the module-to-module powerconnectors is not required in all embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, when the module-to-module power connector 500Ais mounted in the tunnel space 315A and secured (e.g., via screwing,bolting, etc.), the sealing component 510A is pressed down onto thebattery housing 305A, which seals the module-to-module power connector400A from an external environment (e.g., the rest of the tunnel space315A, etc.). Further, each of the electrical interfaces 525A and 535A isconfigured to connect to either a positive or negative terminal of acorresponding battery module upon insertion of the battery module inaccordance with the electrical diagram depicted in FIG. 3B with respectto module-to-module power connector 325B.

FIG. 5D illustrates interior sections 500D of the module-to-module powerconnector 500A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 5D, the busbar 515A is not arranged as a straight metallicbar. Instead, the busbar 515A include a flexible (e.g., curved) middlesection denoted in FIG. 5D with respect to 505D. For example, thecurvature or waves in the flexible middle section 505D may be derivedfrom the busbar 515A being formed from laminated copper bands, wovencopper, a flexible cable, or any combination thereof. The flexiblemiddle section 505D of the busbar 515A is configured specifically togrant the busbar 515A a given amount of flexibility which permits theassociated electrical interfaces 525A and 535A a defined range ofmovement during connection to corresponding electrical interfaces onrespective battery modules. For example, the defined range of movementmay be a 2 mm range of “X-direction” movement (e.g., left/rightmovement), a 2 mm range of “Z-direction” movement (e.g., up/downmovement), or a combination thereof. Put another way, the defined rangeof movement may be 2 mm on a plane that is perpendicular to theinsertion direction of the respective battery module (e.g., a planecomprising both X and Z directions). In a further example, theelectrical interfaces 525A and 535A may be configured to resist“Y-direction” movement (e.g., parallel to the insertion direction) basedon support from the battery housing fitting 560A to accommodate abattery module's electrical interface to be plugged into a correspondingelectrical interface on the module-to-module power connector duringinsertion of the battery module. While not illustrated expressly, thedefined ranges of movement may be similar to the defined ranges ofmovement described above with respect to the module-to-module powerconnector 400A in FIG. 5E.

FIG. 5E illustrates interior sections 500E of the module-to-module powerconnector 500A in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 5E is similar to FIG. 4E, except that protection section 505E isarranged over the flexible middle section 505D. In an example, theprotective section 505E (e.g., quartz sand, etc.) may be arranged over arespective integrated voltage disconnect component in the busbar 515A,such as a fuse (e.g., similar to fuse 400G depicted in FIG. 4G, whichmay correspond to a thinner section of the busbar 515A). In an example,the protective section 505E may protect against arcs that can occur whena respective fuse melts.

Referring to FIG. 4E, in an alternative embodiment, the protectionsection 505E may be arranged over an explosive component (e.g., a pyrofuse) instead of a fuse that merely melts in response to excessive heatand/or current. Explosive components are another example of disconnectcomponents that can be integrated into a module-to-module powerconnector to reduce or eliminate a voltage across electrical connectionsbetween battery modules. In particular, the explosive components areconfigured to explode (e.g., so as to cause a rupture in a respectivebusbar so current cannot flow across the respective busbar) in responseto heat and/or fire inside the module-to-module power connector 500A.The protective section 505E in turn guards against the force of theexplosion(s) so that only the respective busbar is impacted by theexplosion. In a further example, the module-to-module power connector500A may be communicatively coupled to a controller such as the BJB300B. The controller may monitor various battery and/or other vehicleconditions on its own and make its own decision to cause a particularvoltage disconnect component to explode. In this case, the trigger forthe explosion of a particular explosive component may be a controlsignal from the controller, as opposed to heat and/or fire at therespective busbar.

FIG. 5F illustrates another side perspective of the module-to-modulepower connector 500A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.The perspective of FIG. 5F more clearly illustrates downward extendingsections 500F of the busbar 515A, which are similar to the downwardextending sections 400F and 405F in FIG. 4F and are coupled to theelectrical interfaces 525A and 535A. FIG. 5G illustrates a topperspective of the module-to-module power connector 500A in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosure.

While the busbars 415A-420A run in a longitudinal direction in FIGS.4A-4J (e.g., to chain together in series battery modules inlongitudinally adjacent battery module compartments), the busbar 515A ofFIGS. 5A-5G runs along a lateral direction (e.g., to chain together inseries battery modules in laterally adjacent battery modulecompartments, such as battery module compartments A and F in FIG. 3B.).

While FIGS. 4A-5G describe implementations whereby each busbar includesan integrated voltage disconnect component (e.g., a fuse, an explosivecomponent, etc.), in other embodiments, at least one and less than allof the busbars in the respective module-to-module power connectors mayinclude the integrated voltage disconnect component (e.g., to savecosts, etc.). As shown in the electrical diagram of FIG. 3B, even asingle integrated voltage disconnect component may be sufficient tobreak the end-to-end power connection between the battery modules andthe BJB 300B. Alternatively, for redundancy, a subset of the busbars oreven all the busbars in each module-to-module power connector couldinclude the integrated voltage disconnect component.

Examples will now be provided whereby the exemplary module-to-modulepower connectors described above are deployed with respect to an energystorage system for an electric vehicle in accordance with embodiments ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 6A illustrates example construction of a lateral-inserted batterymodule mounting area configuration in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure. In FIG. 6A, the battery module mounting area 605A isshown as being constructed from a series of battery module compartmentchambers 600A. Each battery module compartment chamber 600A isconfigured with a battery module compartment on each side as a pairedbattery module compartment arrangement, with each battery modulecompartment configured to receive a respective battery module. Thebattery module compartment chamber 600A includes a plurality of exteriorwalls that define an exterior frame of the battery module compartmentchamber 600A, and at least one interior wall (not shown in FIG. 6A) thatacts as a firewall between the respective battery module compartments ofthe battery module compartment chamber 600A and separates (and forms aseal with respect to) the respective battery module compartments. Inparticular, the at least one interior wall (or firewall) may help to fixthe respective battery modules into a desired position upon insertion,to protect each respective battery module compartments from hazards inthe other battery module compartment, guide crash forces, supportmodule-to-module power connectors and connectors for LV interfacesand/or reduce a risk that the battery housing itself will collapse. Inan example, the battery module compartment chamber 600A may include atleast one interior wall to seal the respective battery modulecompartments an external environment while defining a tunnel spacelocated above the battery housing). Further, in an example, eachinterior wall of the battery module compartment chamber 600A may becomprised of a single sheet of sheet metal or multiple sheets of sheetmetal that are pressed or ‘sandwiched’ together.

Referring to FIG. 6A, an insertion-side (or opening) 610A is shown onone particular exterior-facing side of the battery module compartmentchamber 600A. While not shown explicitly in FIG. 6A, an identicalinsertion-side may be arranged on the opposing exterior-facing side ofthe battery module compartment chamber 600A. The respectiveinsertion-sides are each configured to permit respective battery modulesto be inserted into the respective interior spaces of the respectivebattery module compartments which are part of the battery modulecompartment chamber 600A. In an example, each respective insertion-sideof the battery module compartment chamber 600A is configured to beclosed via respective lateral insertion-side covers so that each batterymodule compartment in the battery module compartment chamber 600A issealed from the other battery module compartment. Because each batterymodule compartment chamber 600A may be stacked longitudinally withrespect to the electric vehicle as shown at 615A, the two battery modulecompartments in each particular battery module compartment chamber 600Aare considered to be laterally paired or laterally adjacent (e.g.,left-side and right-side paired battery module compartments at the samelongitudinal location along the battery module mounting area).

In FIG. 6A, the battery module compartment chamber 600A includes holes620A, 625A and 630A which open into the tunnel space. In an example, themiddle hole (i.e., hole 625A) may be configured to support an LVcommunications interface (e.g., an optical communications interface)into the tunnel 315A, while the holes 620A-625A are used to support HVpower interconnections between modules or with the BJB 300B. Inparticular, module-to-module power connectors 630A-655A are shownaligned with respective holes into which their respective electricalinterfaces may be inserted into, and sealed over, the respective holesacross the battery module mounting area 605A. Accordingly, when thebattery modules are fully inserted into the respective battery modulecompartments of the battery module compartment chamber 600A, the batterymodule compartments are sealed off from an outside environment (e.g.,via walls, covers, and O-rings), while still being connected to both theHV busbars and LV communications interface. The sealing of the batterymodule compartments helps to protect against hazards (e.g., water,excessive heat or fire, gas, etc.) in an external environment fromspreading or propagating through the battery housing.

FIG. 6B illustrates an example of the battery module compartment chamber600A of FIG. 6A in more detail in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure. In FIG. 6B, the lateral opening at each battery modulecompartment of the battery module compartment chamber 600A may be sealedvia a cover 600B. In alternative embodiments, a cover configured to sealmultiple battery module compartments across different adjacent batterymodule compartment chambers 600A may be used, as discussed above. Whilethe cover 600B in FIG. 6B is shown as an independent component, thecover 600B may alternatively be integrated with a respective batterymodule prior to installation into a battery module compartment of thebattery module compartment chamber 600A.

Referring to FIG. 6B, an interior firewall 605B that seals a respectivebattery module compartment of the battery module compartment chamber600A, and also forms part of the middle bar 310A, is shown by omitting aportion of the top-side of the battery module compartment chamber 600Afrom view. A flange 610B and a set of integrated fixation points 615Bfor securing the cover 600B to the battery module compartment chamber600A, and sealing the respective battery module compartment, are alsoshown in FIG. 6B. The cambers of battery module compartment chamber 600Aare divided by the interior walls 605B. As discussed above, the flange610B is an optional feature, as alternative embodiments may use a clampor clip-type mechanism to attach the cover 600B to the battery modulecompartment.

FIG. 6C illustrates a battery housing reinforcement configuration 600Cin accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG.6C, once the battery module mounting area 605A is constructed, thebattery module mounting area 605A may be reinforced with abottom-mounted bar 605C (e.g., underneath the flange), a front-mountedbar 610C, a back-mounted bar 615C, side-mounted bars 620C-625C and a setof center-mounted bars 630C. In an example, the set of center-mountedbars 615C may be used to define a gap that is used as the tunnel space315A above the battery module mounting area 605A. While not shownexpressly in FIG. 6C, the tunnel space 315A may be formed when theabove-noted gap is closed or sealed via a top-cover (e.g., formed fromsheet metal), as well as being sealed at respective longitudinal ends ofthe tunnel space 315A.

FIG. 6D illustrates a perspective of the tunnel space 315A that isdefined by the battery housing reinforcement configuration 600C of FIG.6C and includes the module-to-module power connector 500A of FIG. 5A(e.g., corresponding to 630A from FIG. 6A) in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure. In FIG. 6D, a top cover for the tunnelspace 315A is labeled as 600D.

FIG. 6E illustrates a perspective of the battery housing 305A thatincludes the module-to-module power connector 400A of FIG. 4A (e.g.,corresponding to 635A from FIG. 6A, between battery module compartmentsF and G as depicted in FIG. 3A) in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 6F illustrates an example implementation of FIGS. 3C and 6A wherebythe module-to-module power connector 500A (or 630A in FIG. 6A) isinstalled between battery module compartments A and F (e.g., in hole620A of a battery module mounting compartment chamber of the batterymodule mounting area 605A) in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure. In FIGS. 6F, the electrical interfaces on the respectivebattery modules being inserted into battery module compartments A and Fare labeled as 605F and 600F, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6F, therespective battery modules may slide into their respective batterymodule compartments in a lateral direction, with the electricalinterfaces 600F-605F being aligned with corresponding electricalinterfaces 525A and 535A, respectively, on the module-to-module powerconnector 500A. In an example, the defined range of movement (or motion)in the X and Z directions based on the flexible configuration of thebusbar 515A as described above with respect to FIGS. 5A-5G may be usedto facilitate the electrical interface inter-connections duringinsertion of the battery modules into the respective battery modulecompartments. So, the respective electrical interfaces do not need to beperfectly aligned, so long as the electrical interfaces upon insertionare within the defined range of movement (or motion). While not shownexpressly, the flexible middle section of busbars 415A-420A maysimilarly facilitate electrical interface inter-connections between themodule-to-module power connector 500A and respective battery modules aswell.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate examples whereby module-to-module powerconnectors are arranged between battery modules of an electric vehiclein accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In particular, FIGS.7A-7B illustrate examples specific to a lateral-inserted battery modulemounting area configuration for a battery housing of an electricvehicle.

Referring to FIG. 7A, an electric vehicle 700A includes a battery modulemounting area 705A that includes, on a left side of the electric vehicle700A, battery module compartments configured to receive battery modules710A-735A via left-side lateral insertion. In FIG. 7A, battery modules710A-725A are shown at different degrees of lateral insertion, whilebattery modules 730A-735A are shown in a fully-inserted state. While notshown explicitly in FIG. 7A, the battery module mounting area 705A mayfurther include, on a right side of the electric vehicle 700A, batterymodule compartments configured to receive other battery modules710A-735A via right-side lateral (or side) insertion. More specifically,the insertion-sides of the battery modules 710A-735A correspond to theleft exterior-facing lateral side of each respective battery modulecompartment on the left side (longitudinally) of the electric vehicle700A, and the insertion-sides of the battery modules of each respectivebattery module compartment on the right side (longitudinally) correspondto the right exterior-facing lateral side of the electric vehicle 700A.Rocker panel 745A may be attached to the electric vehicle 700A.

Referring to FIG. 7A, a BJB 750A is mounted on top of the battery modulemounting area 705A, and is electrically connected to the battery modules710A-735A (and also the right-side battery modules, which are not shownexplicitly in FIG. 7A) via module-to-module power connectors 755A.Further, a battery module controller (not shown) coupled to the BJB 750Ais communicatively coupled to each battery module via LV busbars 760A,although in other embodiments an optical communications interface (e.g.,a light tube, etc.) may be used. While not shown expressly in FIG. 7A,the module-to-module power connectors 755A and LV busbars 760A may eachbe deployed in a protected tunnel space, as described above.

Referring to FIG. 7B, another electric vehicle 700B is depicted with abattery module mounting area 705B. The battery module mounting area 705Bis configured similarly to the battery module mounting area 705A inFIGS. 6A-6C. Various battery modules 710B are shown at various degreesof insertion into the battery module mounting area 705B. A tunnel space715B is defined above the battery module mounting area 705B by a set ofcenter-mounted bars 720B, which correspond to the set of center-mountedbars 630C in FIG. 6C. Further shown in FIG. 7B is a BJB 725B that isconfigured to be connected to the various battery modules via both LVbusbars 730B and module-to-module power connectors 735B. While not shownexpressly in FIG. 7B, the LV busbars 730B and module-to-module powerconnectors 735B may be installed inside of the tunnel space 515B, andthen sealed (e.g., via bolting or screwing onto the top of the batterymodule mounting area 705B). Also, while the BJB 725B, the LV busbars730B and the module-to-module power connectors 735B are shown asfloating above the battery housing components in FIG. 7B, it will beappreciated that this is for convenience of illustration as the BJB 725Bis installed adjacent to the tunnel space 715B and the LV busbars 730Band the module-to-module power connectors 735B are installed inside thetunnel space 715B.

While the module-to-module power connectors in the embodiments describeabove are used to form serial connections between battery modules inrespective battery module compartments to ramp up the voltage levelbeing supplied to the BJB 300B, in alternative embodiments, some or allof the module-to-module power connectors may instead be configured toform parallel connections between the battery modules in respectivebattery module compartments to increase current instead. Accordingly,the specific type of connection formed by the module-to-module powerconnectors may vary by implementation depending on whether highercurrent or higher voltage is desired.

In a further embodiment, the battery module compartments inside of thebattery module mounting area may be vented to an outside environment viathe tunnel space 315A and the BJB 300B. In an example, eachmodule-to-module power connector may be configured with gaps that permitairflow between adjacent battery module compartments. As shown in FIGS.8A-8B, the perspective of described above with respect to FIG. 6D isshown. In FIGS. 8A-8B, further shown are arrows that depict air movementthrough the module-to-module power connector 400A. As used herein,reference to air movement or “airflow” refers to a movement of air thatoccurs based on a pressure differential (e.g., pressure compensationfrom air expansion), as opposed to airflow that occurs based on physicalforces such as an electric fan, wind, etc. In this context, a“direction” of airflow is from the higher pressure area towards thelower pressure area. In particular, FIG. 8A depicts an inside-to-outsideairflow, which occurs when external environment pressure is lower than apressure inside of the battery module compartments, whereas FIG. 8Bdepicts an outside-to-inside airflow, which occurs when externalenvironment pressure is higher than the pressure inside of the batterymodule compartments. As used herein, reference to “pressure” of theexternal environment 900 or inside of the battery module compartmentsrelates to barometric pressure.

FIG. 9A illustrates a venting arrangement that defines a set of airchannels through the tunnel space 315A to permit pressure equalizationbetween respective battery module compartments and an externalenvironment 900 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.While the arrows in FIG. 6A are used to show the manner in whichmodule-to-module power connectors 630A-655A are inserted into respectiveholes of the battery module mounting area 605A, in FIG. 9A, the arrowsare shown to emphasize the direction of air movement.

Referring to FIG. 9A, air inside the battery module mounting area 605Aflows (in order) from battery module compartment to battery modulecompartment through the respective module-to-module power connectors635A-655A, and then to the BJB 300B via a module-to-BJB power connector(not shown). Accordingly, in an example, if there is a pressure change(e.g., due to a change in altitude, temperature, etc., which may occurif the battery module compartments are arranged on an airplane, and soon), the airflow over air channel(s) through the module-to-module powerconnectors 635A-655A to the external environment 900 acts as a labyrinththat guarantees pressure equalization. The module-to-BJB power connectormay be configured somewhat similarly to the module-to-module powerconnector 630A, except that the module-to-BJB power connector does notconnect battery modules in series, and instead is connected to positiveand negative terminals on the BJB 300B. The module-to-BJB powerconnector includes gaps similarly to the module-to-module powerconnectors 635A-655A to permit airflow.

Referring to FIG. 9A, in an embodiment, the pressurization equalizationachieved by the airflow over the air channel(s) may occur as a passivefunction without any active component (e.g., no fans, etc.). Moreover,the pressurization equalization achieved by the airflow over the airchannel(s) may generally be used to address gradual pressurizationdifferentials that form between the battery module compartments and theexternal environment 900 (e.g., a user drives an electric vehicle up ordown a mountain which causes changes to altitude and temperature,batteries heat up during driving and/or charging which causes aninternal pressure increase due to air expansion, a thunderstorm developsin the external environment 900, etc.). However, it is also possible forpressure to increase inside the battery module compartments in a fastand potentially catastrophic manner (e.g., in response to a fire insideone or more of the battery module compartments). In such cases, thepressure valve 125 on one or more of the battery modules may open toreduce the pressure inside of the battery module compartments morequickly than can be achieved via the venting arrangement described abovewith respect to FIG. 9A.

Further, in an embodiment, the air channel(s) defined by the gaps insidethe module-to-module power connectors through are configured in alabyrinthine manner to limit both the rate at which air moves throughthe module-to-module power connectors between different battery modulecompartments as well as the types of materials that can move the airchannel(s). This ‘labyrinth’ structure may be sufficient to achieve thegradual pressure equalization objective noted above, while also beingconfigured to reduce or block one or more contaminants (e.g., dirt,dust, smoke, etc.) from propagating between different battery modulecompartments.

Referring to FIG. 9A, the air channel(s) from the battery modulecompartments are fed to the BJB 300B via the module-to-BJB powerconnector, and the BJB 300B further feeds the air channel(s) via apathway (e.g., a tube or pipe) to the external environment 900. At somepoint along the pathway from the BJB 300B (or inside the BJB 300Bitself), the pathway is sealed via an air-permeable, liquid-tight seal910 such as an air permeable membrane (e.g., a GORE-TEX membrane). Theair-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910 permits air to flow between theexternal environment 900 and the battery module compartments (s), whileprotecting the battery module compartments from contaminants such asdust, debris and humidity. In a further example, the air-permeable,liquid-tight seal 910 may be arranged above a max waterline for theelectric vehicle. For example, if the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal910 is arranged inside of the BJB 300B, then at least part of the BJB300B itself may be arranged above the max waterline for the electricvehicle. In a further example, the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910may be below above the max waterline for the electric vehicle, while thepathway to the external environment 900 extends from the location of theair-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910 to a location that is above the maxwaterline. In a further embodiment, while not shown in FIG. 10, the BJB300B may alternatively be arranged at a lower point of the electricvehicle (e.g., inside a battery module compartment, etc.). In this case,the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910 may be installed outside of theBJB 300B at a higher location (e.g., above the max waterline). In afurther example, multiple air-permeable, liquid-tight seals 910 may beused in the venting arrangement of FIG. 9A for redundancy (e.g., eachmodule-to-module power connector and/or the module-to-BJB powerconnector may be equipped with its own air-permeable membrane forredundancy in terms of humidity protection, etc.).

FIG. 9B illustrates another venting arrangement that defines a set ofair channels through the tunnel space 315A to permit pressureequalization between respective battery module compartments and anexternal environment 900 in accordance with another embodiment of thedisclosure. Structurally, the venting arrangement in FIG. 9B isidentical to the venting arrangement in FIG. 9A. However, the air insideof the air channel(s) in FIGS. 9A-9B move in opposite directions. Inparticular, FIG. 9A depicts an inside-to-outside airflow, which occurswhen external environment pressure is lower than a pressure inside ofthe battery module compartments, whereas FIG. 8B depicts anoutside-to-inside airflow, which occurs when external environmentpressure is higher than the pressure inside of the battery modulecompartments.

Referring to FIGS. 9A-9B, the air channel(s) between the battery modulecompartments and the external environment 900 may help to achievepressure equalization, which may protect the battery module compartmentsfrom overpressure conditions. For example, the pressure equalizationreduces mechanical stress on joint connections in the battery housing,which helps to ensure that the battery module compartments remain sealedover time.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side-perspective of the venting arrangement ofFIG. 9A in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 10, the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910 is shown as integratedinto the BJB 300B. Similar to FIG. 9A, the arrows in FIG. 10 denote thedirection of airflow in a scenario where the external environmentpressure is lower than the pressure inside of the battery modulecompartments.

As will be appreciated, the direction of airflow in FIG. 10 is frominside the battery module compartments towards the external environment900. This will generally occur when the external environment 900 has alower pressure than a pressure inside the battery module compartments.However, it is also possible for the external environment 900 to have ahigher pressure than a pressure inside the battery module compartments(e.g., as in FIGS. 8B and 9B), in which case the airflow direction isreversed from the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 10.

It will be appreciated that the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910(e.g., an air-permeable membrane such as GORE-TEX) may not able toinstantly compensate for pressure differentials that develop between thebattery module compartments and the external environment 900. Rather,the rate at which the pressure is equalized may be defined by a dampingfunction. For example, assume that the electric vehicle is being driven,and the battery modules inside the battery module compartments heat upto 35° C. Now, further assume that the electric vehicle drives through apatch of ice water. This will cause the battery module compartments tocool down quickly, and the volume of air trapped inside the batterymodule compartments will begin to decrease, causing the pressure insidethe battery module compartments to drop to −55 mbar below an externalenvironment pressure in an example. The resulting pressure differentialto the external environment 900 will be compensated by theair-permeable, liquid-tight seal 910 (e.g., an air-permeable membranesuch as GORE-TEX), which functions as a pressure compensation valve,over a period of a few minutes.

Moreover, while the air channel(s) in FIGS. 8A-10 are defined in partthrough the module-to-module power connectors inside the tunnel space315A, any component(s) implemented inside the tunnel space 315A may beconfigured to define the air channel(s) in other embodiments. Forexample, a data communications interface such as the above-described LVbusbars and/or optical communications interface (e.g., light tube, etc.)arranged inside the tunnel space 315A may be used in place of, or inaddition to, the module-to-module power connectors to establish the airchannel(s) or add air channel(s). In this case, the venting arrangementmay be configured to include the data communications interface.

While the embodiments described above relate primarily to land-basedelectric vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, etc.), it will be appreciatedthat other embodiments can deploy the various battery-relatedembodiments with respect to any type of electric vehicle (e.g., boats,submarines, airplanes, helicopters, drones, spaceships, space shuttles,rockets, etc.).

While the embodiments described above relate primarily to battery modulecompartments and associated battery modules and insertion-side coversfor deployment as part of an energy storage system for an electricvehicle, it will be appreciated that other embodiments can deploy thevarious battery-related embodiments with respect to any type of energystorage system. For example, besides electric vehicles, the above-notedembodiments can be applied to energy storage systems such as home energystorage systems (e.g., providing power storage for a home power system),industrial or commercial energy storage systems (e.g., providing powerstorage for a commercial or industrial power system), a grid energystorage system (e.g., providing power storage for a public power system,or power grid) and so on.

As will be appreciated, the placement of the various battery modulecompartments in the above-noted embodiments is described as beingintegrated into a vehicle floor of an electric vehicle. However, it willbe appreciated that the general closed compartment profile design may beextended to battery module mounting areas that can be installed in otherlocations within the electric vehicle (e.g., in a trunk of the electricvehicle, behind one or more car seats, under a front-hood of theelectric vehicle, etc.).

The forgoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to make or use embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated,however, that the invention is not limited to the particularformulations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein, as variousmodifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art. That is, the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit orscope of the embodiments of the disclosure.

1. An energy storage system, comprising: a battery module mounting areaincluding a plurality of battery module compartments, each of theplurality of battery module compartments configured to house arespective battery module; and a venting arrangement configured todefine a set of air channels that permits pressure equalization betweenthe plurality of battery module compartments and an externalenvironment, wherein the venting arrangement is configured with anair-permeable, liquid-tight seal at least between (i) the plurality ofbattery module compartments and (ii) the external environment.
 2. Theenergy storage system of claim 1, wherein the battery module mountingarea includes a first set of battery module compartments arranged alonga first lateral side of the battery module mounting area, and a secondset of battery module compartments arranged along a second lateral sideof the battery module mounting area.
 3. The energy storage system ofclaim 2, wherein the venting arrangement includes a tunnel space definedbetween the first and second sets of battery module compartments, thebattery module mounting area including a set of holes that open into thetunnel space, wherein the set of air channels is defined through thetunnel space to permit airflow between the first and second sets ofbattery module compartments and the external environment.
 4. The energystorage system of claim 3, wherein the set of air channels is definedthrough a labyrinthine pathway inside of the tunnel space to permit theairflow between the first and second sets of battery module compartmentsand the external environment while reducing or blocking propagation ofone or more contaminants between different battery module compartments.5. The energy storage system of claim 4, wherein the one or morecontaminants include dirt, dust, smoke or a combination thereof
 6. Theenergy storage system of claim 3, wherein the venting arrangementfurther includes a plurality of module-to-module power connectorsarranged in the tunnel space, each of the plurality of module-to-modulepower connectors including at least one busbar and electrical interfacesthat are configured to form at least one electrical connection betweenat least one pair of battery modules inserted into at least onerespective pair of adjacent battery module compartments, and wherein theset of air channels is defined in part through the plurality ofmodule-to-module power connectors.
 7. The energy storage system of claim6, wherein the venting arrangement further includes a datacommunications interface arranged in the tunnel space, and wherein theset of air channels is defined in part through the data communicationsinterface.
 8. The energy storage system of claim 7, wherein the datacommunications interface is a wired data communications interface or anoptical communications interface.
 9. The energy storage system of claim1, wherein the air-permeable, liquid-tight seal is an air-permeablemembrane.
 10. The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the energystorage system is configured to provide power to an electric vehicle,further comprising: a battery junction box (BJB) that is electricallyconnected to battery modules in the plurality of battery modulecompartments.
 11. The energy storage system of claim 10, wherein the BJBis arranged on top of the battery module mounting area, and wherein theair-permeable, liquid-tight seal is included inside the BJB.
 12. Theenergy storage system of claim 10, wherein the air-permeable,liquid-tight seal is arranged over a max waterline of the electricvehicle.
 13. The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein a pressureinside of the plurality of battery module compartments being higher thanan external environment pressure causes airflow along the set of airchannels to move in an inside-to-outside direction.
 14. The energystorage system of claim 1, wherein a pressure inside of the plurality ofbattery module compartments being lower than an external environmentpressure causes airflow along the set of air channels to move in anoutside-to-inside direction.